In the first reading, we hear the Lord God say to the prophet: "The just man, because of his faith, shall live." The person with faith, unlike one who is rash, is patient and waits for fulfilment, which comes in God's good time. Faith in the God of Eternity is what keeps hope alive.

In the gospel reading, Jesus feels frustrated by people's having little faith. People are affected by perversions and misery. In their rashness they do not see or relate to God.

We may have had many successful experiences or possess skills that have helped solve many of our problems. Like Jesus' disciples, we may think that we see God and know him in what we have experienced. But as John of the Cross says, "To see God is not to know, but to believe. Nothing else will do." Experiences, imaginations and even our deepest desires may draw us to God but do not finally convert us. Only faith leads us to believe that, with God, everything is possible.

Let us take to heart what Jesus says: "If you have faith, nothing will be impossible for you." The deeper our faith, the closer is our union with God.